I started wearing makeup in 8th grade because I thought it would make me more popular. I traded out my glasses that I had been wearing for contacts, got a haircut different from anything I had before and got a new wardrobe full of tank tops, short shorts and skinny jeans.

I had never known the feeling of popularity, so I hoped that a change in my outward appearance would prompt a change in the way others treated me. All of the popular girls dressed similarly, so I figured it would be easy to be like them.

On the first day of 8th grade, I walked in confident, looking different than I ever had before. To my surprise, I received no acknowledgement. Later on, whenever I tried something new, hoping that it would completely change my social life, I disappointed myself.

The same chain of events happened freshman year as I tried to assimilate with my peers by changing my looks. I wasn’t extremely happy with my attempts to become like them, but I figured that didn’t matter too much.

However, like the many times before, it did not quite turn out the way I had hoped. I’ve been self-conscious since I was six years old, when I was told by a mean-hearted girl that I was fat. Years after that, I grappled with worries about how I looked; weight, chest size, how I dressed, everything.

I compared myself to others, which always ended up disappointing me. Other students were not that interested in me, but what bothered me the most was that I wasn’t happy with myself. Thankfully, one of my closest friends helped me through the self-doubt which had plagued me for years, and after some time I became more comfortable with myself and less bothered about how others would view me.

Once I came to the realization that I had to be happy with myself before I could try to please others, my self-image rose higher than it had been in a while. I started dressing the way I liked, trying to stand out from the crowd rather thanbe a part of it. Once I satisfied myself, I felt infinitely better. I no longer was an 8th grader trying to fit in but never quite succeeding; I was happy.

Body image is a problem that affects most high schoolers, and although many believe it’s a struggle that solely girls experience, I have seen guys worrying about their physical appearance as well. We all want to feel like we fit in. However, as I learned, looks rarely contribute to our place in society.

There are ideals pressed onto us by the media, saying that you have to be thin and that each part of your body must be perfectly shaped. Ads about plastic surgery are marketed at teens, telling them that to love themselves, they should fix themselves to be more attractive.

Thankfully, there has been a much greater urge to love your own body rather than to try to live up to the standard ideal of beauty. Hopefully society continues on this path because the most important thing is to be happy with yourself.

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